Blue, Blue Eyes
by bob lemon
Summary: Sokka and Zuko are reunited after Zuko becomes the Fire Lord. Can they make it work? Zuko/Sokka YAOI
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi! This is my first Avatar fanfiction and an obscure pairing at that! I wrote this for a contest here: http://sozu-fanclub. deviantart .com/journal/19376550/ (remove spaces)  
Please leave a REVIEW! I was thinking of writing a second chapter, what do you think?

Zuko sighed and closed his eyes, letting the frigid wind whip across his face. It had been five years since he had tasted the same fresh air and been out on the open sea with a crew that belonged only to him. He was headed to the Southern Water tribe, in the middle of winter nonetheless, to visit the friends he had made so long ago from his enemies. It had also been five years since he had seen either Katara or Sokka and when he finally worked up the opportunity for a break, he couldn't think of anywhere he would rather go.

As expected, Zuko had become a unrivaled Fire Lord, but with the added prestige came added stress. It had taken him a while to rebuild the Kingdom that his father and sister had neglected and win the trust and support of his people. Even now tension was high, but at least his advisers and attendants knew their places. For the first three years of his rule he was always watching his back, deflecting assassination attempts and mutiny from anyone close to him. He had no one but Mai in his palace that he completely trusted and often turned to her for help in a nation that he had been exiled from for much of his life.

"I see you are enjoying your vacation." Iroh silently approached Zuko, who was leaning over the iron bow of the Fire Nation ship. Zuko turned to him, smiling widely. He hadn't been this happy since he had parted with the group years before.

"I am indeed, uncle. I'm glad you could accompany me." As Iroh approached the edge of the ship himself, he smiled warmly, obviously proud at what Zuko had done with himself. He stopped next to his nephew and took a deep breath, admiring the clear water and clearer sky.

Iroh had continued his Tea Shop life in Ba Sing Se instead of living with Zuko in the Fire Nation. Although Zuko could have used the help, too much had already passed between his uncle and the rest of his family, not to mention the army that had once been his entire life. Zuko could also see the disappointment and pressure that Iroh already faced with his younger brother and couldn't bring himself to ask for his assistance. He knew if he did, his uncle wouldn't refuse. So far the Fire Lord had been fine without Iroh, though. It had been a struggle, but they kept in touch through Ferret-Doves and Iroh had visited annually since Zuko's promotion. Iroh's tea had been a big hit, but he never expanded past his small shop and still insisted on serving the tea himself.

Zuko readjusted the plain brown cape that hung around his shoulders. It was much colder than he remembered it, but it had been far too long since he had set his ship in Water Tribe seas. He had left all of his Fire Lord attire at home with the exception of his Flame knot-fastener (proof that he was indeed the Fire Lord) which was kept in a lacquer box with his other traveling things. Instead he had taken the plain clothing of a Fire Naval officer, a medley of crimson, scarlet, and maroon, and pulled his ever growing hair into a simple pony-tail. It was as long as the last time he had been in these waters, when he had first "caught" the Avatar, but he kept it full and flowing in the style of his forefathers instead of the shaved style of a high ranking officer. When he was fully dressed in his Fire Lord attire he pulled half of his hair up in a top knot, keeping the traditions of the Fire Nation.

"Sir, we've made contact with the Water Tribe," came a female voice from the small cabin behind them. The woman was Min, one of few people Zuko trusted now, and his personal body guard. She was a small woman, but competent in both hand-to-hand combat and Fire bending. He had hired her three years ago out of Ba Sing Se, where she had been born, and honed her bending skills himself.

"Good news," he replied, slowing turning from his oceanic view back towards the ship. "Get the crew ready to land." The crew was only made up of five other people, but each personally associated with Zuko. His advising staff insisted that he take almost an army, but Zuko had gotten away with hand picking some seasoned warriors. He didn't want to draw attention to himself, he was capable of his own protection, and he was here for leisure, not to start a war. Besides, how would he get any private time with a certain someone if he had an entourage following him around?

"Aye aye, captain!" Min saluted, serious as ever. He liked the woman, but the only time he had ever seen her loosen up was at his last birthday in which she had gotten drunk and smashed part of the paper screen in the meeting room.

Fire Lord Zuko turned back to Iroh, who was still looking out across the water. He looked older than the last time they had been together.

Zuko sighed, but suddenly tried to hold back a smile as he caught sight of the snow covered land in front of them.

"You are very excited to see your friends," Iroh said in his cryptic "not asking" way. Zuko couldn't hold back and let his smile show, looking down at the deck, embarrassed. There were some things even his uncle didn't know.

"I am, uncle. It's been a long time," he turned his gaze back to the ocean, the icebergs that denoted the Water Tribe village now visible.

"I am, as well. I hope Sokka has time to play a round of Pai Sho with this old man." He smiled softly.

Zuko returned the smile and tilted his head. "I'm sure he will."

CCC

"Heeyah! Zuko!" Sokka was waiting for them at the docks where a water bender fixed their boat to an ice berg with ice. Zuko jumped from the bow of the small ship, dropping only a few feet onto the ice dock, once again holding back his smile.

"How are you, Sokka?" he asked calmly, half of his mouth lifted in a smirk.

Suddenly the Water Tribesman threw himself at Zuko, crushing him in a Lion-Bear hug. "It's been such a long time since I've seen you!! Look at this hair! It's out of control!" He fluffed the end of Zuko's pony tail over his shoulder.

Zuko immediately hugged him back, squishing Sokka through his many layers of clothing and animal skins.

They pulled back and Zuko looked at Sokka's wide smiling face and into his crystal blue eyes. He had also changed since their last meeting 5 years ago, but not by much.

Sokka still had a wolf tail, but it had grown long just like Zuko's hair. It was pulling into a loop right now, but Zuko could see it would easily go past his shoulders if taken out. Both sides of his head were still cleanly shaven, though, and he now had a large flat gem stuck in each of his ear, probably over an inch in diameter, which stretched his ear lobes out. He still wore his white shell necklace, which had now faded to gray, and had grown as tall as Zuko had.

Zuko dropped his hands from around Sokka and instead wrinkled his face in a lopsided smile. "What's this?" he touched Sokka's chin lightly, tugging at the sparse goatee that was growing there. It was barely noticeable against Sokka's dark skin.

The man looked proud that his friend had noticed. "Oh, just thought I'd try growing a little beard. A new look, you know?" he paused, raising an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

It was all Zuko could do not to bust out in laughter. "There's hardly anything there! How long did that take you to grow, a month?" he pulled back and covered his own mouth, his whole body shaking from holding back.

Immediately Sokka looked offended. "Hey, just because I'm not a hairy ape from the Fire Nation-"

"Who are you calling ape?" Zuko tried to look upset, but only ended up letting out a loud laugh.

"You, you black hairy fire nation ape!" Sokka lunged forward with a tight smile on his face, trying to put Zuko in a head lock. He managed to mess up his pony tailed hair, but the two wrestled for only a few seconds, laughing loudly and enjoying themselves. They paused for a second before Sokka gave him another light hug, messing up Zuko's hair even more.

"Heey..." Zuko tried to push his hair back into place, but the damage was done. Sokka snickered, obviously pleased with his revenge. They were silent for a moment while the rest of the crew collected the luggage and unloaded the small ship.

"Is this all the people your brought? Katara planned a feast to feed the whole village twice over!" Sokka laughed again, watching Zuko's guards.

"Did you except me to bring more?" Zuko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but Katara was hoping. Not many visitors this far South." Sokka turned back to the village that was nested against an ice cap a few thousand feet away, and Zuko moved forward to stand beside him. They lapsed into silence again, Sokka looking a little more sober.

"Have you heard from Aang?" he asked quietly, starting to slowly walk towards the village. Zuko turned to make sure his men were taken care of before following at a leisurely pace.

"No, not since we were last together in Ba Sing Se. Katara hasn't...?" Zuko let his sentence trail off, folding his arms against his chest. Sokka shook his head slowly.

"She's probably taken it the hardest. I mean, her boyfriend just disappears one day, doesn't tell her where he's going or when he'll be back. No one has heard from him in years." The warrior sighed. "But that's talk for another day," he said, looking back at Zuko and forcing a smile. "Let's not ruin your vacation with melodrama."

Zuko returned the smile, a little sadly. It was true he didn't want to talk about Aang, especially with Katara. It had been hard on all of them after he went missing. Zuko regretted he couldn't aggregated more resources to search for him, but the last thing he had heard from the Airbended was something about "he was the Avatar and he needed to start acting like it". Besides, Zuko had had his hands full with trying to run the Fire Nation.

"Anyway..." Sokka rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and relaxed his smiled tentatively. "What do you want to do while your here?"

Zuko shrugged, turning to check on his crew again. They were slowly following, three large boxes distributed between the six of them. Iroh followed with them slowly, carrying a small box of his own.

"Well, you promised me Penguin sledding and uncle requested a game of Pai Sho." Zuko sighed and grinned, releasing the tension that had built up, glad they were back on safe grounds. Sokka smiled genuinely in response and turned back to Iroh, raising his voice so the old man could hear.

"What? The last game we had was three hours long!" He pretended to be exasperated, but Zuko knew Sokka enjoyed their games as much as Iroh did.

"'A good thing is worth putting the time in to,'" he replied, smiling. "Besides, I have not yet extracted my revenge!" Iroh pointed at Sokka teasingly to emphasis his point.

Sokka rolled his eyes in return, turning back to look at Zuko. "I won _one_ game. You've won at least a hundred!" Sokka's eyes shifted back to Iroh. The old man simply shook his head. "'A single victory may be more important than all that came before it.'"

"Alright, alright," Sokka replied after a moment, still smiling at Zuko. "I give in. We'll play a game tomorrow." Zuko smiled a thanks and continued their small talk until they had reached the village.

CCC

"Are you sure you're warm enough in that?" Zuko lifted his chin so that Sokka could hear him through his oversized parka. He had borrowed one from Sokka's neighbor, but it was several sizes too big. Not too much of a problem, though, since that meant Zuko could fit a few extra layers underneath.

Sokka was wearing a single jacket and Zuko had seen what he was wearing underneath: a sleeveless leather top and breeches that were tucked into his knee high boots. Zuko had put on three layers before his oversized coat.

"Of course!" Sokka smiled. "Don't worry, after we get running you'll want to take some of that off!"

Zuko's eyes widened a fraction in disbelief. "I doubt it."

Sokka simply smiled back.

The two of them were trekking across the winter wasteland and had been for 30 minutes. Zuko had been with the Water Tribe for seven days and was planning on returning to the Fire Nation within two. Although Sokka had promised to take him penguin sledding (and he had been excited about it initially) Zuko found out that the winters in the South were far too cold for his liking. But then again, this was the first time the two had been alone since he arrived.

Well, technically alone. Min was following behind them a few hundred feet and trying to be sneaky about it, but Sokka hadn't said anything yet so Zuko didn't bring it up. If she was going to brave the cold to make sure her employer was safe in the middle of a snowy wasteland, he wouldn't say anything.

"Okay, slow down..." Sokka pressed his hand against Zuko's chest to stop him, but Zuko could barely feel him through his layer of clothes.

"Wh-what?" A puff of white air exited Zuko's mouth as he began to speak again.

"Their nest is right past this mound," Sokka replied, a smile spreading across his face. He shifted his parka to untie a length of rope from his waist. "Be careful not to go for a pup, they'll really kill you then."

Zuko lightly touched his own forehead and closed his eyes for a second, obviously nervous. "Thanks for the tip." Sokka smiled at Zuko's reaction and elbowed him in the side, standing a little too close.

"Don't worry, I know what's going on. Let's take a look." Sokka slowly worked his way up the mound of snow, eventually getting down on his knees to avoid scaring the penguins. Zuko followed closely, very unsure of himself and not only because of the penguins.

Both of their heads popped over the top of the snow bank to take in the nested group of penguins. They were usually calm and friendly creatures that were not hunted by the tribe, but every once in a while some hot headed kids (like Sokka and Zuko) would tease and play with them until they got angry. The animal's initial reaction was to flee the area by slipping down the mountain instead of fighting, which is what lead to the creation of "Penguin Sledding".

"Okay, down at the bottom there are two big ones, probably alpha males," Sokka started, pointing with his mittened hands. "You go for the one on the left and I'll take the one on the right." He handed Zuko a piece of rope, a tool not required, but useful in the winter sport.

"Uh, okay?" Zuko replied, expressing his obvious doubt. Sokka grinned.

"Just follow me." He stood slowly and began walking through the families of Penguins resting against the glacier. Zuko got up and followed directly behind him, resisting the urge to grab onto Sokka's parka for comfort. They both looked around them as the penguins perked up and began watching them in return. No other movement was visible except for the occasional turn of the penguin's heads, even the pups didn't move at the presence of the two foreign bodies. "See? We're fine!"

But even Sokka jumped a little when one of their target penguins stood up, revealing his full height and ruffling it's wings. It was almost as tall as Sokka and at least a hundred pounds more.

"Ready?" Sokka whispered. Zuko could see his friend's vein pulsing out against his neck, revealing his excitement, and caught his breath. Now or never, he supposed. If he didn't go, Sokka would never let him live it down.

"Yeah, let's go," he whispered back. Sokka suddenly jumped, his rope wide, and wrapped it around the penguin, who had begun to struggle immediately, pulling away and flapping it's stubby wings. Sokka yelped and Zuko saw the second target stand up, ready to assist the first. Zuko jumped, imitating Sokka as well as he could, and ropped the second one who was luckily not as big as Sokka's.

Before either of them knew it, Sokka's penguin had twisted onto it's belly and began down the mountain, Sokka barely pulling himself onto his back with the help of the rope.

"Woooo!" He tried to look back at Zuko, who was pulling himself on to his own penguin's back as it took off directly behind him. Several of the mothers and children had taken off with them in the commotion and others were scattering to either side.

Somehow in all the confusion both of the men had managed to successfully rope the penguins and attached themselves into the proper sledding position. Zuko's penguin was throwing it's head around in protest but managed to pull abreast to Sokka. They were going too fast for Zuko to really do anything else but hold, which wouldn't have been a problem except his face was freezing now, and he was afraid he had lost a glove in his struggle to mount.

It was worth it, though. They were going faster than Zuko initially thought possible and were soring past all sorts of ice caps, some of them surprising beautiful. Definitely the way to travel in the Southern country.

Zuko almost lost his balance when they turned to avoid one particular glacier and noticed that Sokka was struggling just as much. The peguins were fatty and slick, not ideal for riding by a long shot, and there was nothing to help him but a rope that was quickly slipping down to the penguins stomach.

"Sokka...!" Zuko screamed over the rush of wind that was making his eyes water. They were going too fast, he was going to fall off!

Sokka half turned to look at his friend, smiling encouragingly and trying to fix his own rope. "We're almost there!" Zuko barely heard back.

"Sokka, look!" Zuko tried to point with his covered head to where they were going. They had reached the bottom of the hill, which was followed by a series of cliffs overlooking the ocean. If they didn't bail soon they would end up in the water. In response Sokka simply gave Zuko another mischevious smile.

Immediatley the lead penguin arched it's back up, getting ready for the first jump. Sokka struggled to mainain his balance, laughing loudly. Zuko's golden eyes shot wide open. He wasn't really going to...?!

Zuko's own penguin imitated the movement as they approached the edge of the cliff, but not to the same extreme the other one had. He, at least, was staying on easier, but the Lord closed his eyes at the last minute anyway as they reached the drop off. He would not lose to Sokka!

Althought he drop was only about ten feet, Sokka's penguin had jumped much higher than it needed to, probably an attempt to throw Sokka off-and it worked. The roped slipped down the penguins body, sending the Water Tribesman into a drift of snow a few feet deep and leaving a Sokka shaped hole on top. Zuko let his own penguin land before gracefully slipping off himself, glad it was over. He took a deep breath, then began to laugh at the comical mess Sokka had made and how much fun it had really turned out to be.

Zuko stood up, the loose rope still grasped in his hand, and realized Sokka had been right: he was far too warm now. He stood and trudged over to the hole Sokka had made and saw his friend laughing so hard he could barely move. He had sunk into the snow at least a foot, leaving an indent that outlined his body perfectly, the snow gently falling on top of him as he laughed.

Sokka looked up, slowing his laughter, as Zuko approached and stood at Sokka's feet. The man made no move to get up, but simply met the Fire Lord's eyes with his own.

Zuko took a deep breath, realizing this was exactly what he was waiting for. Sokka was gently smiling up at him, bringing to memory the time they had spent together before he had become the Fire Lord.

Stepping foward a few feet so that he was standing over Sokka, Zuko slowly crouched down to sit on top of his friend, straddling his hips. Sokka immediately looked shocked and embarrassed.

"Wh-what are you doing?" his voice wavered with nervousness and Sokka made a slight attempt to push the fire bender off of him, sitting up as much as he could.

"Sokka." Zuko said firmly, leaning over him and pushing the tribesman back down with his hands on his shoulders. He hovered above his friend for about a second before firmly pressing their lips together. Oh yeah, that brought back memories.

Sokka let him have his way for a minute or so, gently tasting the warm lips, but eventually began to push back, forcing Zuko to release his mouth.

"Zuko, I thought we talked about this," he said in an annoyed voice. Zuko was still sitting on top of him, half buried in the snow and holding him down.

The Fire Lord blinked slowly and tried to swallow his nervousness. He had been worried for months over this conversation.

"Sokka, I..." he started gently, unsure of how to begin what he wanted to discuss. Instead of talking he leaned down again, trying to steal another kiss. Sokka stopped him more firmly this time by pressing his hand against Zuko's face, looking at him with eyes that held sadness in their depths.

"Zuko, you're the Fire Lord now."

The said Fire Lord took a deep breath, puffing out more white air. "I know."

Zuko closed his eyes for a moment, resting his forehead against Sokka's, who had loosened his grip on Zuko.

"Sokka, I'm in love with you." Zuko didn't open his eyes; he couldn't bear to see the look on Sokka's face next. When they had talked about his last time it had been bad enough to keep the topic away for five years.

Sokka sighed and let Zuko have a moment of silence before he responded.

"You're only making this harder on yourself."

"... I know." Zuko's voice was timid, but he managed to open his eyes and sit up enough to look at Sokka's face. The look plastered there was the same emotion that was wrestling his heart at that very moment.

Sokka sighed again and began talking with a "your so stupid I'll have to explain it to you again" tone of voice.

"You need to have a kid, remember?" Sokka pressed his hand against Zuko's face, forcing their eyes to meet. "You need a heir to keep your blood line going. It's as simple as that."

"Azula might have a child-" Zuko started to argue, but Sokka cut him off.

"Azula is locked up in crazy people jail, remember? The only way she's going to have a kid is if she escapes and if she did, do you think she would hand it over to you?"

"Well, I'll..." Zuko almost started saying something else, but stopped and paused, thinking about what he was going to suggest next. "I'll ask Mai to be my supplimental wife-" he began again after a moment.

"Zuko, we already went over this," Sokka said again, sounding more than annoyed this time. He stopped and waited for Zuko to reiterate the long conversation they had had 5 years ago before they had parted ways.

The Lord waiting a few seconds, looking at Sokka like a sad puppy. He sat up, placing his entire weight back on Sokka's hips.

"Water Tribe customs denote that a member should only take one mate and commit to them for life," he said in a monotone voice on the verge of whining.

"I won't sleep with you if you're just going to turn around and sleep with Mai," Sokka replied plainly.

"It would only be for the sake of having a child-" Zuko began, but was interrupted as Sokka shook his head, causing a few flakes of snow to fall on his face.

"Zuko, give it up. It won't work out between us." Sokka's voice began to take on the same melencholy tone as before. "You should just marry Mai-"

"No! Didn't you hear me?! I'm in love with _you_." Zuko could feel his anger flair. He felt as though he had been hitting his head against a wall for the last ten minutes.

"Love and marriage are not necessarily related. You of all people should know that."

Sokka was right, but Zuko was using all his power as Fire Lord to change some of the feudal customs in the Fire Nation, including marriage for money. It was the one of the few things he was still struggling with after all this time.

"They are to me, okay?" Zuko replied weakly, his mouth slipping into a depressed frown. He had finally lost his will power and pushed himeslf off of Sokka, walking a few feet away from him and the snow bank he was caught in. The Fire Lord clenched his fists and turned his back on his friend, looking out at the beautiful blue ocean that suddenly seemed so lonely. This was going about how he anticipated it would. He raised his hands to hold his forehead, rubbing it gently and trying to calm himself down, awaiting what Sokka would say next.

"Zuko, I'm sorry." Sokka had sat up, releasing his torso from the snow bank and looking down at his lap. The snow against his body was melting and the back of his parka was already soaked.

The Fire Lord rubbed the bridge of his nose with his ungloved hand, unsure of what he was about to say.

"I'm willing..." Zuko paused and swallowed, turning back to Sokka and looking at him straight in the eye. Sokka noticed the change in his posture and looked up at him, trying to hide his expression. "I'm willing to give up having children." Sokka began shaking his head before the last word was out.

"I won't let you."

"Sokka, this isn't your choice-"

"Of course it is!"

"I'm willing to give up a _bloodline_ to be with you, doesn't that mean anything?!" Zuko's voice was raised now, so much that he was almost yelling. But he wasn't the only one.

"It means that you're giving up your life for me! I won't let you do that after you worked so hard to fix all of your dad's mistakes!"

"Screw my dad! Screw the Fire Nation! I don't care, Sokka!!" Zuko suddenly felt the energy that had been building up in his chest drain away. "I don't care," he repeated in a lower voice.

Sokka, too, let the tension drain from him, taking a deep breath. He stood and approached Zuko, who turned away from him, once again facing the expansive ocean. Despite that, Sokka placed a hand lightly on his shoulder and gazed knowingly at his profile.

"Yes, you do." His voice was just as soft as touch.

"Sokka, I _need_ you. Do you know how hard it's been the last five-" Zuko turned back to his friend, met his eyes, and was unable to finish.

Of course he did.

There was silence until a few moments later Sokka slowly leaned forward and pressed their mouths together. They stuck where the dry outter lips met the sliver of exposed mouth until Sokka gently stuck out his tongue and touched the wet crease of Zuko's lips, exposing them further. Zuko pulled him close from around the waist and opened his jaw wider, emitting a puff of breath from his hot mouth as he did so. Sokka's breath caught and he wrapped one arm around Zuko's neck to keep him from falling to the ground, fitting the two of them closer together. His tongue slid over the top of the firebender's, the wintery air cold everywhere except where he was touching Zuko. The situation was all too familiar and all too alluring, and, realizing this, Sokka began pulling back, but Zuko kept their lips stuck together until the last possible moment.

Before the Water Tribesman could say anything, Zuko began ranting, half out of breath. "I'll go to the Tribe Leader tomorrow and take a wedding vow, exchange agreement, whatever I have to do- If I need a dowery, I'll return right now, if I have to go kill a Polar Bear, just show me the direction-" Zuko stopped, noting the amused, broken-hearted expression on Sokka's face. He had tears in the corner of his eyes that he was trying to scrub away through his gloves.

"I love you, too. That's why I can't let this work." Sokka replied sadly, pushing himself out of Zuko's arms. He turned and began walking haphazardly through the snow in the general direction of the way they had come, wiping his face on the sleeve of his parka.

"Sokka, please wait!" Zuko took after him, but stumbled and fell on his face, burying his whole body in snow. Sokka had began running as soon as Zuko had replied, slipping around in the deep snow himself, but he had made it to the crest of the hill before Zuko even looked up.

"Please!!" Sokka disappeared over the top of the ridge. Zuko made a half hearted effort to stand, but the exchange and hurt he had encountered kept him from recovering enought to get up.

Zuko let his head fall into the snow in front of him, more falling from the darkening sky lightly onto his back.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm so embarrassed I wrote this omgzzzzz! :o ANYWAY, here's the second chapter, there will be one more. Yay! please leave a REVIEW!

CCC

Zuko was back in the fire nation, leaning against the frame of his bedroom window in melancholy. He held a letter in his hands, which was a little crinkled from over-reading, and glanced between it and the view that he had from the castle. His eyebrows suddenly furrowed, studying part of the note, and he tightened his grip on the paper. Zuko let out a soft "hmph" before standing upright and placing the letter gently on the table next to him.

The Fire Lord paced around the room, his long dress robes dragging on the ground behind him. He stopped and looked at a decorative rug hanging on the wall and rubbed his chin where some sparse hairs were coming back, despite the fact that he had shaved that morning.

Suddenly Zuko heard footsteps approaching his door, a soft clanking sound emitting from the special floor that lay there for defense purposes. A loud knock echoed against the walls of the master suite, followed quickly by a firm voice.

"Lord Zuko," came the shout, and then a slight pause. "Lord Iroh has arrived and has been shown to the Reception Room, sir." Before the guard could finish, Zuko was across the room and opening the door. The guard immediately bowed when Zuko showed his face, head parallel to the floor.

"At ease," Zuko waved his hand and looked the guard over quickly. His name and rank popped up in Zuko's mind (he knew everyone that worked in his palace by face, a safety precaution of his) and both men relaxed at the same moment.

"Show him to my room," he commanded, turning back around and retreating to where he had come from. The guard bowed again and turned just as abruptly, headed down the hall, another group of dull clucking following him.

Zuko shut the door, decorated in a single giant flame, behind him and walked over to his wardrobe. Usually a maid or a footboy would be there to assist him, but he specifically required that none be present for the meeting with his Uncle. Apparently there was some important things to be discussed.

In front of the mirror, Zuko pushed back some strands of hair that had come loose and picked up his Flame knot-fastener that he was given upon his coronation. He placed it over his topknot and adjusted it to his liking, staring fixedly into the glass in front of him. When he was satisfied with his appearance, he slipped over to the side table next to the window, picking up the discarded letter and tucking it into the hem of his robe, against his chest.

As quickly as he could in his long robes, Zuko walked back to the entrance of his room, but instead of opening the flame covered door he opted for a smaller one that stood next to it. It was covered in delicate flowers instead, and blended in well with the woodwork in the wall. Next to his private suite, where he was right now with his bed and clothing selection, he also had a greeting room that was included in his personal wing of the castle. If he received a personal guest, like his uncle, it was far more appropriate to meet him there than in his room. Not only was it cleaner, but less rumors flew around the castle when other, especially female, guests met with the Fire Lord.

Zuko pulled his robes forward, making sure the train was not caught in the doorway, and gently shut the door behind him. As soon as he had ,the telltale signs of a group approaching were heard. There was a soft knock on the door to his left before the door was slowly opened. There were three guards that accompanied Iroh, one of them being Zuko's personal body guard Min, and they each bowed as the old man entered. The other two, lower ranked guards, bowed to Zuko before leaving down the hall, but Min remained.

"I will be waiting outside the door, my lord," she also bow, but not as deeply, and slowly closed the door, leaving the two alone. If it had been anyone else, Zuko would have insisted they wait at the entrance to the wing, but Min had already become too close to Zuko. She had witnessed the fight with Sokka three months ago and had actually made an effort to comfort him when it was all over. It hadn't really helped, but it took some pressure off his chest that he didn't have to hide his feelings from everyone, especially those he was so close to.

"It is good to see you, nephew," Iroh began, looking more chipper than he had during the trip to the Water Tribe. Zuko forced a smile, hoping that he was succeeding at looking happy. In all actuality, he was very stressed and worried about both Iroh and Sokka.

"Yes, yes. I hope your trip was pleasant," Zuko replied automatically, offering him the largest floor pillow he had. He watched his Uncle slowly sit on the ground, making sure he didn't need any help, before taking a seat across from him, a low table seated between them. The table, the exact height to rest ones elbows on while seated on the floor, was the only hard piece of furniture in the room. Various pillows covered the floor, many of them thrown into the corner, and the walls were lined with red and purple drapes, hiding the hard surfaces behind them. There were no picture or windows, which left the room a little claustrophobic, but it was for defense purposes as well. Fire Lord Sozin had been a paranoid man (with reason) and his son had picked up his bad habits. There was only one entrance to the King's personal wing and only two windows leading out. It was easy to escape from the windows, but almost impossible to climb the five stories to reach there.

"Well, after we returned from the Water Tribe I admit I was a bit tired. Another trip so soon was not what I had hoped for." Iroh's words seemed cryptic to Zuko, especially after the letter he'd read, but etiquette would not let him bring up the topic just yet.

"I'm very sorry," Zuko started dryly (after all his uncle had brought this on himself) but before he could continue the floor outside his room began to clank again. He raised his eyebrow at his uncle.

"Ah, yes. I forgot to tell you! I asked them to bring some tea. You know that I can't get any good pepper-root tea in Ba Sing Se," he explained with a sheepish grin and Zuko stood to accept the tea. He opened the door a crack and the young girl stared at him with wide eyes, blushed, and shoved the tea tray into his hands. She bowed before turning to leave, shuffling rushedly, and the Fire Lord caught Min drinking a cup herself out of the corner of her eye. She downed it in one gulp, although it had to be hot, waited three seconds, and nodded to Zuko. Not poisoned.

Zuko shut the door again and returned to the table, setting the tray down gently before reclaiming his seat.

"It is too bad we had to leave the Water Tribe early. They also had some fine tea that I had never tasted before..." Iroh reached for the pot, but Zuko shooed his hand away, pulling back his right sleeve to pour the tea himself. He knew his uncle was baiting him for information and he wasn't sure how to respond.

"You were so happy when we were first arrived. I wonder if you got into an argument with Sokka or Katara..." Iroh's tone was that of indifference, but he wouldn't make that reference for nothing.

"Katara told me there was a storm approaching, that was all," Zuko lied, handling the tea delicately. He poured a cup for Iroh and set the pot down, pushing the cup over to his uncle.

"It was also strange that Sokka was not there to see us off." Iroh picked up his cup with both hands and blew the steam from the top away. "In fact, after you two went to chase the Penguins I did not see him again. I thought you would want to spend every minute you could with those two."

Zuko's mouth furrowed into a frown, not happy with where this conversation was going. He had been planning on telling his uncle about Sokka sometime soon, but after the fiasco in the South, he wasn't so sure he was wanted to.

"Zuko, you can talk to me about anything, you know," Iroh's smile was soft and inviting, as it had always been. Zuko finished pouring his own cup of tea, then pushed the tray aside, taking it roughly in one hand.

"I would rather not talk about it." He looked down at his hands. Iroh sighed and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Zuko, if there's something on your mind-" he started, but Zuko sighed and cut him off.

"I got into an argument with Sokka. I didn't think I was welcome anymore," Zuko replied shortly, unable to deny his uncle any longer.

"I'm sure Sokka is more forgiving than you give him credit for," Iroh continued to smile gently and took a sip of his tea, finally looking away from the Fire Lord. Zuko shook his head in return, his long hair swaying gently behind him.

"It is not something so simple to forget," he said carefully. "Besides, when he returned that evening he avoided me by staying with his neighbor-and when I asked Katara she said he didn't want to see me. I took that as my cue to leave," Zuko continued, very sadly.

Iroh nodded again, his smile turning sad. "I see. I'm sorry," he replied. Sorry for what, Zuko wasn't sure. He sighed and took a sip of tea himself.

"Anyway," Zuko cleared his throat. "About your letter," he started, trailing off and allowing Iroh to explain whatever he wanted to first.

"Ah yes, that." Iroh looked a little sheepish and let out a dry laugh. "I'm an old man, I can't quite remember-" he started, but Zuko pulled the letter out of the breast of his robe. He unfolded it slowly and Iroh smiled back at him nervously.

Zuko started from the middle of the letter, reading outloud: "...I have something I must confess to you, Zuko. I do not wish to have any secrets, especially from you, my trusted nephew. I will be arriving at your palace in a few days. If you have the time to meet me, please accept me with open arms and an open mind..." Zuko looked up at Iroh, meticulously refolded the letter and stuffed it back into his shirt.

"Oh, right. _That_ letter." Zuko was mildly annoyed.

"Uncle, you can talk to me about anything, you know," Zuko repeated what Iroh had told him a few minutes before, only with a sarcastic edge. His Uncle was far too chipper for this supposed "secret" he was keeping.

Iroh sighed, took another sip of tea, and then placed his cup lightly on the table. He looked at Zuko was an intense, serious gaze.

"Zuko, you are going to have a cousin." The Lord became rigid, confusion crossing his face. Iroh's son had died a long time ago.

"What?" he asked slowly, trying to register what his uncle was telling him. His eyebrows were furrowed in thought and his hand was gripping the tea cup so hard he thought it might break it.

Iroh took a deep sigh at Zuko's reaction and let his eyes drop to the table before looking back at his nephew determinedly.

"I'm having a son." His tone was firm; Zuko had never seen this uncle this defensive before. Not since he had lost his other son so many years ago.

"What?" Zuko repeated, unable to wrap his head around what Iroh was telling him.

"I..." Iroh paused. "June is having a baby."

"_Your_ baby?!" Zuko couldn't hold himself back. He had known that June had begun living with his uncle, but he had never thought their relationship was like _that_. He thought his uncle had simply taken pity on her after her accident.

Iroh's features softened. "I don't know," he replied in a sober tone. "An old man has his-" Iroh started, but Zuko cut him off by raising his hand. He certainly did not want to hear about his uncle's sex habits.

"It doesn't matter. Do you have reason to believe this kid is yours?" Zuko's attitude had changed from shocked to "get it over with."

Iroh nodded, looking directly into Zuko's eyes. The Fire Lord could tell that Iroh wasn't hiding anything any longer. He nodded in reply and brought his hand to his chin, rubbing his stubble in thought. This situation was a miracle.

"I will do anything in my power to help you care for this child." He placed his hands firmly on the table and spoke with passion. "If you need financial backing, paperwork, whatever. You name it." Zuko's eyes were (figuratively) burning a hole in his uncle's skull.

Suddenly Iroh laughed, grabbing his stomach. "Prince Zuko," he used the Lord's old title, "I knew that you would not reject me but I never imagined you would be so passionate about this. I thought maybe you would hit me on the back of the head or something." Iroh continued chuckling, his face fully relaxed.

Zuko blushed, embarrassed that he had let his emotions show for so long, even if it was to his uncle. Iroh's laughter quickly faded, replaced with a warm smile.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

Zuko hesitated for a moment. Now that there was a glimmer of hope with Sokka, he should let Iroh know and maybe even ask for advice. But Zuko didn't know if he could do it. He placed his head in his hand and looked down at the table for several seconds.

"Zuko?" Iroh's smile had relaxed and he was looking a little worried now. "What is it, nephew?"

"Uncle, I have something to tell you as well."

Iroh nodded, waiting for his companion to begin speaking again.

"I..." Zuko took a deep breath. He forced himself to speak. "I am in love with Sokka."

Iroh's worried look fell from his face and instead he raised his eyebrow in confusion. "I am glad for you, nephew, but...?" he trailed off. That was the reaction Zuko was expecting: not one of extreme happiness, but not one of disappointment either.

"He's rejected my advances." Iroh's brows furrowed and he rubbed his chin.

"I don't understand," he began, but Zuko shook his head, showing that he wasn't done explaining yet.

"He said that if we're together, I won't be able to have a child to take over the throne." He left out all the spouting his friend did about defeating Azula and how crazy she was. "He said-" Zuko paused and tried to check his emotions. He had never talked about this with anyone before. "He said that he wasn't about to let me give up my life for him." His voice only wavered on the last word.

Iroh reached across the table and grasped his shoulder, trying to comfort him. Zuko forced a smile in gratitude and continued.

"If I had a blood relative in the next generation, I might be able to convince him to rethink his decision." Iroh's eyes lit up in understanding, but Zuko barely noticed.

Iroh leaned back. "Zuko, I'm not entirely sure this child has my blood running through it's veins."

"The paperwork is all that matters." Iroh gave Zuko a stern look, but nodded after a moment. "If you would let the child to grow up here, it can be arranged. If you raise it yourself, that is equally acceptable."

Iroh rubbed his chin again, the same look plastered on his face as in the middle of a good game of Pai Sho.

"Zuko, if that is how you would have it be..." he began, but trailed off. Zuko couldn't be sure that his uncle was satisfied with the way the conversation had turned out.

"I... I don't want to meddle..." Zuko started, unsure how to say what he wanted to. He didn't want his uncle to feel obligated to him, just as when he had passed up the opportunity to make his Uncle his closest adviser.

Iroh shook his head and smiled softly again. "Do not worry about this, Zuko. I will help you as much as I can, as I know you would help me." Iroh picked up his chunky tea cup and drained what remained.

"June should be giving birth after the next full moon," Iroh said with a note of finality. The next full moon was about 25 days away, which meant Jun must have been pregnant before the group had left for the Southern Water Tribe. Zuko wasn't sure what to think about the situation (besides it had been a miracle to his love life). June was far too young for Iroh, and... they had had sex? Gross. Not something Zuko wanted to think about.

"I understand. If you need any help... In fact, if you would like to travel here to give birth, I can find the best house-maids-" Zuko started, but Iroh shook his head.

"A baby needs it's mother and I know June will not leave Ba Sing Se. If you would allow me a small token," Iroh gave Zuko a comfortable look, "I would raise the baby until it is old enough to survive without a mother. When that time has come we will speak of this matter again."

Zuko nodded his head in agreement. "Of course." He replaced his half finished cup of tea onto the tray and stood, pushing his robes from underneath him. Iroh followed his lead and stood, hobbling over towards the door. Before opening it to leave, he turned to Zuko and patted his shoulder again.

"Thank you," he repeated. Zuko smiled down at him and drew him into a hug. He was the happiest he had been since the trip to see Sokka had started.

Iroh chuckled and gave the Fire Lord a proud look before once again moving towards the door. He opened it slowly and Min immediately perked up, bowing shortly and looking to Zuko for instructions.

"Min, I shall escort my Uncle out. Would you have my stationary and a new brush sent to my rooms?" Min nodded immediately, not asking any questions, and followed the two as they walked down the short hallway to the entrance of the wing, where three other guards were stationed.

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"Thank you for coming so quickly. I didn't mean to worry you." Zuko shut the flower covered door, in the same room that he had occupied with his Uncle a week earlier. Min, once again, was outside, no other guards allowed within the entire wing.

"You letter did sound a little urgent." Katara had been the one to enter the private room this time, dressed in casual Water Tribe traveling clothes and a medium-sized pouch tucked around her waist. She took a quick look around before focusing on the small floor table and the pillows that surrounded it.

"Have a seat," Zuko motioned to the floor where she was looking. Katara nodded and took the pillow that Zuko had used last time, resting her elbows immediately on the table. Her hair was loose of her regular braids and Zuko momentarily thought it was a good look for her. She looked much more mature than when they had taken on Azula together. "I didn't mean for you to come so quickly. It must have been inconvenient for you," he continued, completely honest.

Katara shrugged. "I had been meaning to take a trip to the Northern Water Tribe recently anyway." She fidgeted with her hands for a second before smiling at Zuko nervously.

"Would you like some tea?" Zuko offered. Katara shook her head.

"No, I'm fine." She waited as long as she thought was appropriate before returning to their previous topic. "Besides, Sokka has been driving me _crazy_. He's been acting like a spoiled brat ever since you came last winter. You two must have had a preeeeetty serious argument." Katara sent him a sidelong glance as he sat down across from her, resting her head against her palm and her elbow leaning heavily on the table. "He wouldn't tell me what it was about. You two are so strange..." Katara suddenly sat up straight and looked down at her hands sheepishly, as if she had said too much.

Zuko cleared his throat. "Actually, that's what I wanted to speak with you about." It was no use hiding it from her and he would probably need her help to win Sokka over anyway. The only problem was that he had no idea how the girl would react. In the Fire Nation about 1 in 5 couples would be of the same sex, but Zuko didn't know if that were the case in the Water Tribe, especially considering their sparse numbers. Sokka never seemed too upset about it, though.

"Sokka, you mean?" Katara perked up, folding her hands in her lap. "Is that what all this is about?" She looked a little disappointed, pouting out her bottom lip. "I thought it was an emergency..." Zuko frowned at her reaction, a little annoyed.

"It's more important than you think," he began, rubbing his nose to try to cover his frustration.

Katara looked sheepish again. "I'm sorry, go on." She had come all this way after all.

Zuko took a deep breath, serious again, and hesitated, losing his confidence.

Katara waited somewhat patiently, but after an extended silence raised an eyebrow.

"I'm in love with Sokka," he spit out in a rushed fashion. Katara's eyes popped open.

"WHAT?! I thought you were getting married to Mai?" Her face was screwed up in a look of amazement, but that was better than disgust.

Zuko shook his head in response. Out of all the problems she could have mentioned, it was probably a good sign she picked that one first. "As of now, we're just friends."

Katara's mouth was handing open an inch and she didn't respond. She blinked a few times.

"You..." She gulped and took a breath, obviously trying to get her surprise under control. "Like you have a crush on him?" Katara's features looked hopefully. Zuko furrowed his brow in confused and realized how hard it was to read girls. Shouldn't she either be upset or happy?

"No. Like. We did stuff." Zuko felt like a teenager again. Katara's eyes almost popped out. "I mean, not like sex stuff, Sokkaalreadytoldmeaboutthatyouknowthat..." he started running his words together and his face turned bright red. "Like kissing and whatever." Katara relaxed, placing her hand on her chest.

"In the water tribe you're not supposed to have sex until your at least formally engaged," she explained, trying to cover up her own reaction to what Zuko had said.

"Yeah, Sokka told me already," he replied, looking down at the table and then back to Katara. His face was still bright red.

"So this is a... uh... mutual...? Thing?" Katara's face twisted strangely as the last word came out. If Zuko hadn't been so embarrassed he would have laughed.

"Sort of. I asked him to... commit... and he turned me down." Katara pursed her lips, thinking.

"That explains a lot."

Zuko didn't respond.

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Zuko spent the next two hours explaining to Katara how Sokka and Zuko had gotten involved (when they had traveled to the Boiling Rock together), how involved they were (lots of love, no affection) and how and why Sokka had rejected him. He also took the time, after Katara had asked all of her meticulous questions of Zuko's plans for Sokka's future, to explain to her why his Uncle had visited earlier and his plan to win Sokka over.

"I figure if I can at least dent his 'no heir' argument, he might rethink his feelings and give me an honest answer," Zuko explained, finally.

Katara nodded. He had figured out through their discussion that same sex relations were dealt with similarly in the water tribe- not unheard of, but in a time when they needed as many babies as possible to refill their population... not preferred.

Katara had warmed up to the idea a little bit, especially when she had found out that Sokka had admitted his feelings for Zuko, too. They had moved from defensive to accepting, lucky for Zuko, and now Katara was trying to give him tips on seducing her brother. He had to admit, it was a little awkward.

"Actually, all I really want to know is how the whole commitment thing works in the Water Tribe," he was blushing lightly, but had regained his dignity over the nervousness from earlier. "Here in the Fire Nation we hold a ceremony with our family and throw a party," he explained so that Katara would have some idea of the answer he was expecting. It sounded like the Water Tribe held many traditions that were meticulously followed. Zuko needed to know what he had to do before he went about convincing Sokka to do it with him.

"Well, first of all, you have to get engaged. Afterwards you can exchange vows in front of the tribe leader if you want." Zuko nodded, showing Katara that he was listening.

"How do we get engaged?" he asked next, and Katara's eyebrows wrinkled.

"Hmm. Well. Usually the man," Katara paused, giving Zuko a stern look-as if to say "you're the man, aren't you?"

She continued. "The man leaves the village to hunt for this rare stone- it's called the Azure Quartz-which is found in the caves deep in the glaciers outside the village. It usually takes a two or three day trip to find one big enough to use. When you bring it back, a water bender or a silver smith will carve a design of your choosing and you attach it to a piece of leather." Katara lifted up her own necklace, the one that Zuko had stolen from her once, as an example. "It's not unheard of to pass an existing necklace on to your children either, as my grandma did for me," Katara smiled, her eyes brightening. "So if I ever get engaged," her smile dropped "I would give him this." She finally dropped the necklace back to her neck, trying not to look sad. Still no word from Aang it seemed.

Zuko nodded. "I see..." He was trying to figure out how he was going to do all of these searching for rocks between his job as Fire Lord and not living in the South Pole. Maybe he could find another rock that would work just as well.

After a moment of him thinking to himself with Katara watching politely he looked back at her. "Do you think it'll work?"

She shrugged. "That part is all up to you."

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REVIEWPLZ!


	3. Chapter 3

Finally updated. =3= Thank you for reading! One more sex-filled chapter after this. Please leave a REVIEW!

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Zuko paced back and forth in the small water tribe dwelling, which was basically a tent with a hole dug in the floor for a fire to cook and keep warm. There was also a small hole open directly over the pit, which was covered with a piece of leather to keep the cold out but still get rid of the smoke.

The Fire Lord was walking in circles around the hole, avoiding some of the furs and clothes that were piled by a make-shift bed, and staring at a piece of leather in his hand. In fact, the leather was a necklace that he had made after Katara had visited, now over six months ago. It had taken him a while to get the free time in order to make the necklace and even longer to get time off to leave the Fire Nation again. His counselors had put up a fight, of course, since he had taken off a few weeks not even a year ago, but he was The Fire Lord after all. Even after all the politics, he still had the final say.

For the engagement necklace, he had chosen a gem famous in the fire nation, a crimson colored stone that melted only at intensively high temperatures. Instead of a waterbender or silversmith, as Katara had suggested, Zuko had taken on the forming of the jewel himself. At first, he had imagined he would melt it with his firebending, but after choosing the stone, he found that path to be more difficult than anticipated. The Fire Lord had stuck with it, though, creating a lab specifically for the shaping of his engagement necklace, in which he could let out all of his power on the stupid thing.

It had worked eventually, creating a swirling effect in the stone and changing the shape so it was perfectly round. Zuko wasn't completely satisfied with the final product, but it had been too much effort to replicate. He had blistered his hands, something that had _never_ happened before, despite all his experience with the power of firebending, and even now, pacing around a dinky tent in the Water Tribe, his hands were still almost completely wrapped in small pieces of gauze. It hurt, but it also improved Zuko's fire bending- now he knew exactly how much power he had.

The gem had turned out dark crimson, where the usual gems were bright red, and the swirls almost looked black. He had shown Katara when she had greeted him a few hours ago, and he was impressed with her reaction- she couldn't stop holding the necklace, admiring the rare gem, running her fingers over the smooth surface of the stone, and commenting on the black leather and gold clasp Zuko had used to complete the necklace. She had smiled and said that, if she was Sokka, there was not a chance she's say no to the Fire Lord.

Of course Zuko hadn't spoke with Sokka since their fight, and all of this was done in "secret" (meaning with Katara's help). He knew the way Sokka would react: initially look surprised, see the necklace, back away in hesitation and maybe try to run before Zuko could explain anything. He wasn't really sure what to do to change that, since the whole reason he was here was to ask Sokka to reconsider his offer.

Zuko continued to pace, running these thoughts over and over through his head. Katara had said she would get Sokka, whom she had also conveniently sent out on an errand while Zuko landed, but that had been at least an hour ago. If Sokka continued to refuse him, Zuko would have to get back on the boat and head right back to the Fire Nation. If he said yes... he didn't know what he would do.

Suddenly, the sound of voices floated from outside the tent. Zuko knew right away it was Katara and Sokka.

"I just asked you to go get it!"

"You're acting really strange, it's not like you don't have time-"

Katara's voice grew angry as she began repeating herself. "I asked you to..."

There was a tense silence that followed. Zuko wasn't sure if they had simply lowered their voices or if Katara had gotten as angry as she sounded. He could tell this wasn't Sokka's tent (it was too clean for that) and it didn't look like it had been used in a while, as the bed was still made and had begun to be buried in pelts and storage pots. It wouldn't make sense for Sokka to walk in of his own accord, so Katara must have made up a reason for him to go in.

Zuko slipped next to the entrance to the tent, leaning against the side. That way if Sokka decided to run, he couldn't leave as easily.

Seconds after he moved, the flap of the entrance was pushed aside and he heard Katara's annoyed voice letting Sokka know where she would be waiting for him.

Sokka walked right past Zuko, his body out of view because of where the flap was placed, and tred about five feet into the room (towards the bed) and mumbled something about Katara being lazy. Zuko watched as he paused and tilted his head to the side as though he were listening for something. Before Zuko could say a word, Sokka had turned back to the door, completely alert with his hand on his boomerang at his waist. Zuko was standing as still as before, unable to take his eyes off Sokka. His golden eyes shone in the little bit of light filtering from up above, leaving the rest of his body in blue darkness.

An expression of shock crossed Sokka's face first and he stepped back, releasing the handle of his boomerang.

"Zuko? Wh-what...?" The back of his foot hit one of the jars sitting on the ground, making a dull clinking sound. Zuko couldn't force anything out of his mouth in response.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" The changes in Sokka's expression were hard to see. He definitely was becoming less surprised and more angry, though.

"I... uh... need to talk to you." Zuko forced his voice to come out. Maybe ad-libbing this wasn't the best idea.

Sokka suddenly looked around the room nervously. "Well, I'm sure a letter would have-" he started, but Zuko cut him off in an annoyed voice.

"I did send you a letter. Did you not get it?" he asked sarcastically. In fact Zuko had sent a letter right after their argument, apologizing but also reiterating that he wouldn't give up. Of course, this was far before his meeting with Katara and his plans to ask for Sokka's engagement.

Sokka didn't reply, but just looked down. "What are you doing here?" he asked again, quietly this time.

Zuko's expression softened. He rubbed the stone of the necklace once more before holding it out to Sokka. There was a light sheen on the jewel and the black leather stood out against the white bandages on Zuko's hands.

Sokka looked down at the necklace, then closed his eyes and touched his forehead lightly with the tips of his fingers.

"Zuko, you seriously need to _give up_." Sokka's voice was firm and a little annoyed, but Zuko could also tell it was also sad.

Instead of explaining himself, Zuko jumped right to the point. "My Uncle has a child." His voice was low and he was sure Sokka could barely hear him.

Sokka looked back at him and swallowed. "What?" His voice was as low as Zuko's.

"My Uncle," Zuko repeated with more confidence, "had a child a few months ago. It's a healthy boy that he's raising in his tea shop in Ba Sing Se."

Of course, Sokka looked stunned. "I intend to make him my heir after his coronation in five years." Zuko cleared his throat and shook his hand, offering the necklace to Sokka again.

Sokka looked at the necklace with curious eyes, but didn't reach for it. "I can't believe... how...?"

Zuko took a few steps towards him, around the fire pit. "I can explain later. Right now... I need your answer." He didn't want to pressure the Water Tribe boy, but it had cost him a lot to be there.

Sokka looked away, but didn't move. His hands were both clenched at his sides.

"I'm in love with you," Zuko added, encouraged by Sokka's inability to answer.

"I know...!" Sokka replied, looking farther away the closer Zuko came.

"Please. Come with me," Zuko pleaded. His hand dropped as he came to stand right in front of Sokka, cornering him.

Sokka remained silent.

"Why not?" Zuko prodded, reaching up to take Sokka's face in his free hand, turning it back to him. Their eyes met, but Zuko couldn't read his friend's emotions.

"I've countered your argument, what do you have left?" Zuko asked calmly, unable to give up.

There was silence; Sokka still wouldn't say anything. In response, Zuko let out a small sigh.

"I won't leave until you give me an answer. Even if it's no." Zuko wasn't so sure Sokka was going to say no anymore, but he couldn't think of anything that would "seal the deal."

The other boy looked at him, still not answering, so Zuko pulled him forward, his arms around his waist, and rested his head on Sokka's shoulder.

"Please," he asked again, closing his eyes.

Neither of them spoke for a minute, until Sokka finally replied.

"When... Back when you kissed me... when we rescued my father... I never thought it would go this far..." Sokka rested his hands gently around Zuko's hips.

"Is that a yes?" Zuko asked hopefully after Sokka trailed off, leaning back to look at Sokka's face.

"I'll... think about it..." Sokka avoided Zuko's look, but the Fire Lord could tell that Sokka was flustered and embarrassed.

"That means yes, right?" Zuko's face almost hurt because he was smiling so widely.

"It means I'll think about it okay?!" Sokka finally looked at him, a shy frown on his face.

Zuko pulled Sokka to him again, kissing him hard on the mouth. That totally meant yes.

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Everything in the Water Tribe had gone without a hitch. When Katara saw Sokka walk in wearing the engagement necklace that Zuko had made for him, she almost started to cry. In return, Sokka had given Zuko the gray shell necklace that he had worn for so long. Zuko had sent a messenger to the fire nation, relating the good news and the information that he was taking a week off.

The two of them had a simple ceremony with the Tribe Leader a few days later, only the three of them present, and Katara had made a delicious fish dinner directly after. They had exchanged simple promises, that they would be true to each other and live peacefully, and the Tribe Leader had written their names down on the tribe registry.

When the time had come for Zuko to leave again, he had tried to convince Sokka to come directly with him. Sokka insisted that he would come within the month with all the items he wished to take with him, but Zuko had lived long enough without his love that even that seemed too long. He knew that Sokka would need time to move from the Water Tribe to the Fire Nation palace, especially on such short notice, but he couldn't help being upset.

By the time Sokka arrived (36 days later, yes Zuko was counting) the Fire Lord had already planned the wedding party that he was required to have. Of course his advisers had gaped at the news that he was getting married (to a man nonetheless) and couldn't wrap their head around his decision, but it took only one lecture (with raised voices) before they stopped picking at him about it.

The party list was huge. It included those who were excited to be there, such as his Uncle, Katara, and Toph, and some people that weren't so much, like Mai, Suki, and June. They all somehow fit into the main hall of the palace and there was enough food to feed half of the Fire Nation's army. Their marriage came as a surprise to everyone (Zuko couldn't count how many times someone had said "I can't believe this is happening" or something similar) but at least now it was out in the open. The couple was split for most of the party (they had come in together in matching outfits, Zuko wearing his usual Fire Lord gear and Sokka in a similar robe), and Zuko only glimpsed his mate across the room a few times, always surrounded by a bunch of girls.

The Fire Lord had to admit he was jealous, but he knew at the end of the party who Sokka would be going home with.

Around Zuko's neck was Sokka's shell necklace, barely visible over the high collar of his Fire Lord robes. Sokka was also wearing his, which elicit several questions from his female fans.

Zuko ended up spending most of the night talking with Toph, who couldn't stand to be around those "girly girls" that Sokka seemed to draw to him. They chatted about vague things like how the boys had gotten together, what Toph had been doing as far as Earthbending training, and this fan-boy that wouldn't leave her alone. Min was standing faithfully at his back, only interjecting when Toph didn't give her a choice to remain silent.

His advisers were filtering around the room, returning to make a comment to Zuko every once in a while about the party or Sokka or the state of the Fire Nation. Zuko found it annoying, but it would save him from having to stay after the party for such small talk.

Some of his more welcomed guests, his Uncle and family included, were staying for a few days in order to prolong the celebration, and soon began to tuck in for the night. Other guests, especially the ones from the city below, stayed as long they could manage. By the time half the guests had left, Zuko decided it was late enough that he could pull Sokka away and retreat to the wing that he would begin to call "ours".

He approached the group slowly, noting Sokka's bored expression. He perked up as he spotted Zuko, and straightened up.

"Hi, _Honey_." Zuko tried not to laugh at Sokka's sugary tone. Apparently he had interrupted a conversation about which fashions were becoming popular in Ba Sing Se.

"I was just wondering," he was on the verge of blushing now that all the girl's eyes were on him, "if you were ready to go to bed?" He was pretty sure his face was bright red. Sokka laughed and smiled widely at him.

"Sure." He sounded laid back, but in fact his face said, 'Please, right now!'

Zuko held out his hand formally to his 'husband' and they proceeded across the emptying reception hall. But before they even got halfway, something strange happened. A light wind blew in from the open balcony, which Zuko found unusual since it had been a calm night.

Zuko looked up, noting something dark move across the balcony. He paused, and walked towards the door, pulling Sokka with him. The boy raised his eyebrow in question, but followed without objection.

They walked together out the doors, feeling the barely cool air across their faces. A few guests that they had walked past had turned to watch them curiously as Zuko looked around, trying to place the tickling on the back of his neck.

"Congratulations." Zuko and Sokka whipped around together, facing the space against the open doors, where the long red drapes were hanging.

Aang was standing in the shadows, his well-used airbending pole grasped firmly in his left hand.

The newlyweds looked shocked, unable to react otherwise.

"Wh-wh....? Is that really you?" Sokka eventually dropped Zuko's hand and the two of them rushed forward. Several people from the party followed, unsure of what the other two had seen.

Aang smiled, his eyes creasing closed, and he rubbed the back of his freshly shaved head sheepishly. "I just thought I should stop in. Two of my best friends getting married after all," Aang replied casually, watching as a few other people entered the balcony.

The Avatar was wearing a medley of orange and yellow robes, one of his shoulders bare and a long string of beads hanging around his neck. His skin was still as pale as ever, although he had grown six inches since the last time any of the friends had met.

"Where have you been?" Sokka's shocked expression never left his face.

"...that's not important," Aang replied, casually. Before Zuko could press him for more information, Sokka's eyes suddenly lit up.

"I need to find Katara," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing and he had only just realized it. Zuko nodded in response, staring at his new husband.

"Thank you," Aang interjected and smiled again, calm as ever. "I need to talk to her."

Sokka rushed off the balcony, pushing aside the guests that were slowing gathering at the door and chatting about how the Avatar had made his first appearance after another long absence.

Aang finally stepped forward and out of the shadow, approaching Zuko, and the two of them turned and walked farther away from the crowd.

"How's running the Fire Nation?" Aang asked comically. Zuko chuckled at the simple question, but replied seriously.

"Hard. I've been very busy," he said with a simple smile on his face. "But it's got it's perks," he added, turning back as Sokka pushed his way back through the crowd, Katara a few head lengths behind him. Aang smiled and nodded knowingly, turning with him. He was looking at Katara.

Katara had put on dark blue dress robes for the ceremony and decorated her hair with pearls. It was simple, but elegant, and she looked very beautiful, even to Zuko who only had eyes for the boy next to her. There were tears in the corner of her eyes and she was being just as rude as Sokka was, trying to get through the thickening crowd.

As the two of them broke through the edge of the crowd, Katara suddenly stopped, staring at Aang.

"Ohmygod you really are here..." One hand covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Aang smiled warmly at her. "Do you have a minute?" Everyone's eyes were on them, but neither of them seemed to notice. Katara wiped her eyes and walked towards him.

"You idiot," she whispered, before taking the hand that Aang offered to her. He touched her gently, pulling her to him, and slid his arm around her waist. The Avatar turned to looked at Sokka, who had walked up to join Zuko.

"I'll bring her back before the sun rises," he smiled mischievously, gently lifting the two of them off the ground with his airbending.

Sokka smiled and shook his head. "You'd better not make her cry!" He shook a finger after the two of them as they floated off, Katara holding tightly on to Aang.

Somehow, when the two had disappeared from sight and Zuko looked back at Sokka, they were holding hands, still separate from the other awe-inspired guests. They smiled at each other, Zuko surprised that the night had turned out so perfectly.

He leaned forward, touching their foreheads together. "Shall we?"

Sokka chucked in reply.

"Of course."

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	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you all for reading this story! This is the last chapter, but you should still leave a REVIEW!

CCC

Still holding hands, the two of them pushed through the now dispersing crowd, a hum of amazement still hanging in the air. Zuko bid a good night to those that called to him, waving a few times, and then stopped so that Sokka could hug Toph before they made it out of the hall. They walked in a happy silence, Min followed some distance behind them. Sokka had asked about her the first day he had been there, but he had seemed more relieved that someone followed Zuko around all the time rather than disturbed at the lack of privacy.

It took less than 5 minutes to reach the royal wing of the palace, but it seemed longer to Zuko. His stomach was full of butterflies and his palms were sweaty despite the drop in temperature. He couldn't bring himself to look at Sokka, for he was sure he looked embarrassed and shy.

Min bid them a good night, taking up her post next to the door engraved with a giant flame, and the two entered the room that been "decorated" by everything Sokka had brought with him.

To be fair, it wasn't that much. A few prized pelts, some clothing, all of his weapons and accessories, some strange contraptions whose purpose Zuko couldn't place... All together, it wouldn't even take up Zuko's closet. But it was much different from what the room had looked like when the fire lord had moved in, when his father's treasures had been the only things worth looking at, and Zuko had to admit he liked it so much better now. He felt complete, like his room had been missing a Polar Leopard pelt all this time.

As soon as the door shut behind the couple, Zuko couldn't look at Sokka. How was he supposed to seduce the man he had been craving for the last six years? He didn't think he could hold himself back and he didn't want to overwhelm his new husband or make a fool of himself.

They were still holding hands tightly, but hadn't moved past the door.

Sokka cleared his throat. Zuko snuck a look at him out of the corner of his eye. The other boy was staring down at his feet, a bright blush apparent on his dark skin.

Zuko chuckled to himself. He should be excited to finally have this moment, not so nervous he couldn't move. The Fire Lord took a deep sigh and pulled Sokka by the arm towards him.

"Do you have something special to put on?" he teased softly, resting his palm on the small of Sokka's back and leaning towards him. Their lips hung inches from each other, on the edge of a kiss.

Sokka was looking at him shyly through his long lashes, and still blushing. His mouth was barely open.

"No, I don't have anything," he closed his eyes and paused. "Isn't the point of... to be naked?" They were talking in whispers now.

Zuko swallowed. Sokka's low voice was making him shiver down his arms. They were so close and the anticipation of what they were going to do was almost making him shake.

Finally, he just leaned in and kissed Sokka gently on the mouth. Sokka immediately responded, clutching the arms of Zuko's dress robes and opening his mouth to let Zuko's tongue in. He gently sucked as Zuko swirled his tongue around, feeling the slick roof of his lover's mouth.

After sharing their wet kiss for several seconds, Zuko gently caught Sokka's bottom lip between his teeth, sucking and nibbling on it. Afterwards he slid across Sokka's cheek with kisses and licked the outside of his husband's gauged ear.

"...Zuko," Sokka whispered, panting heavy breaths. While playing with his ear, Zuko had moved his hand to gently rub the back of Sokka's head, the short hairs that had grown back over the course of the day tickling his hand. The long strands, which had been pulled back as usual for the wedding, touched the back of his hand softly like feathers. This wasn't a dream, right?

Trying not to pull their bodies apart, Zuko lead Sokka towards his lavished bed, draped in red silks and other matching fabric. Sokka would be sick of red within the week.

After their mouths met again in several wet kisses, Zuko pulled away enough to begin undoing Sokka's dress robes. Sokka did the same for him, and although they got in each other's way and their fingers were shaking, they were both bare within minutes.

Zuko touched Sokka's chest lightly, running his fingers over his stiff muscles, unable to look away. His hands ran across the tight collar bone, then down, gently touching his dark nipples and slipping farther to caress his sides above the navel. He was curvy in all the right places and soft to the touch and Zuko thought he could never _never_ get enough of this body.

Sokka watched Zuko curiously as he was touched, barely returning the affection by caressing the side of Zuko's neck. He still wore the faded shells that represented their matrimony, as Sokka did with his own necklace.

Zuko's gentle hands rested on Sokka's hip for a second before moving back up his sides, his thumbs brushing Sokka's nipples again. Sokka couldn't do anything but continue to watch him, enthralled by the pleasure Zuko was getting simply from touching his lover.

The Fire Lord looked up, catching Sokka watching him. A light blush crossed his face at the realization that he had lost himself for a moment.

Sokka smiled at him, letting his own hand brush Zuko's pale chest as it dropped to his side. The tribesman pulled away and turned, giving Zuko a full view of his backside, and stepped out of the pile of clothes around his feet. He paused, full aware of his lover's eyes on him, then crossed the few feet left to the bed. He turned again and sat on the edge of the mattress, slowly laying back with his eyes on Zuko. Sokka pushed himself farther up on the bed and pulled his legs behind him, leaving them bent with his knees in the air, exposing his privates explicitly to Zuko.

Zuko's reaction to the scene was obvious. His erection had gone from half hard to swollen in the time it took Sokka to finish his show. He held back a groan as Sokka opened his legs and let them slip lower on the silky bed.

Sokka's face was completely red, but he had courage enough to speak. "...Well?" he asked, he swallowed nervously.

Although he almost fell on his face tripping on their discarded clothes, the Fire Lord lunged for the bed, approaching eagerly between the spread legs. He barely licked his upper lip before leaning over his lover, resting his hands on either side of his chest. Zuko crawled onto the little space that was left between Sokka's butt and the edge of the bed, barely able to concentrate enough to balance on the silky sheets.

The tanned thighs rested on the newly presented pale ones, lifting them up again as Zuko leaned down and kissed Sokka passionately. Sokka slid his arms around Zuko's neck as they embraced, pulling them closer together.

"Sokka..." Zuko mumbled into his mouth. "I want... I want you..." One of his hands was caressing Sokka's hip, working its way to his butt.

"Just take me." Sokka's voice was a whisper, but sounded amused at Zuko's confession.

Zuko readjusted so he could kiss Sokka's neck above his choker, sucking hard on the skin and gently biting down on it. Sokka moaned and gasped softly for breath, leaning his head farther back on the bed.

The wandering hand had slipped from around Sokka's outer thigh to the inside, lightly touching his balls and the curve of his butt. Sokka's body tensed at the intimate movement, pushing his hips up into Zuko.

"Aaannnn..." the lord moaned in response. His fingers played with the crease of Sokka's butt, but suddenly stopped. "Shit," he cursed under his breath.

Sokka couldn't quite muster the effort to be concerned. A submissive, teased emotion clung to his face. "Wh-what? Ah..." As Zuko withdrew his hand, it brushed Sokka's cock, the first attention it had gotten so far.

Zuko withdrew and slide off the bed, which finally got Sokka's attention. Sokka pushed himself up on his elbows to watch his husband, feeling ridiculous with a boner and his legs wide open now that Zuko was gone. "What's wrong?" Zuko had rushed across the room, again tripping on the clothes on the floor, and was rummaging through the desk by the window.

Within a minute he had found what he was looking for, a small jar with an elaborate jade lid on top, and was making his way across the room again, his erection bouncing happily with him. He climbed back on top of Sokka before anything else could be said, popping the jar open and dipping his fingers into the salve, which smelled like tea. Sokka was still looking vaguely confused, but easily let that emotion go when Zuko resumed his position and began rubbing the salve between the tribesman's perfectly round bottom.

"Ah..." Sokka, leaned back again, trying to relax.

"Open your legs wider," Zuko said in a coaxing voice. Sokka immediately complied, raising his butt up as he went. Zuko slide his own thighs farther under his husband and eased his butt cheeks open with his thumbs.

One of the fingers covered in salve slipped into Sokka's opening. Zuko sat back on his legs, getting a good view of Sokka writhing beneath him. With his unoccupied hand, Zuko gently stroked Sokka's erection, lifting it straight up. He matched both movements together, pumping as he stroked, paying special attention to the head of the shaft.

Immediately Sokka began moaning. "Gods..."

As Zuko added a finger, Sokka tensed, lifting his hips up again. Zuko relaxed his grip on Sokka's cock, instead moving to his fingers to caress his lover's balls.

"Stop..." Sokka took a deep breath and looked at Zuko through half open eyes. "Stop teasing me...!" he gasped out.

All Zuko could do was smirk.

He pushed in the last finger, fumbling with his other hand for the discarded jar. He rotated his fingers inside Sokka one more time before withdrawing them, turning his attention to coating his own erection with the tea salve.

Satisfied with the job he'd done, Zuko leaned over his husband again, smearing the silk sheet with the goop left on one of his hand, the other hand directing his erection. They kissed softly before Zuko began pushing his cock inside of Sokka.

It went in smoothly, thanks to the salve, but Zuko could barely hold back from thrusting in like a wild animal. Sokka grunted, digging his nails into Zuko's back, and his legs wrapped tightly around the other's waist.

"I'm on top... next... time..." Sokka panted out against Zuko's lips as he continued to push forward with a painfully slow speed. The Fire Lord couldn't even respond, he was biting his lip too hard, his eyes almost squinted shut.

Finally, Zuko felt Sokka's butt flush against his hips. He took a few deep breaths, somehow still containing himself, and waited for Sokka's grip on his shoulders to lessen. Zuko pulled out and thrust back in, unable to stop his hips from buckling against the hot body beneath him. He let out a low moan at the pleasure rushing to his face, but forced himself to stop. He had to make Sokka come too.

The Fire Lord took a few deep breaths, tasting perspiration on his lips. He looked directly down at Sokka, who's eyes were almost closed again. He was panting too.

"It's okay... It's.. Go..." he barely got that much, then swallowed.

Zuko thrust again automatically, now more used to the heat and tightness that was enfulfing his cock. Sokka's back arched against the bed as Zuko pushed back in, and he threw his head back and moaned loudly. His hands flew above his head, grasping on to the crimson sheets for some sort of anchor.

"Aaaahhhh...Zuko...!" It seemed as if Sokka's breath wasn't coming out until he suddenly inhaled, gasping for air. Zuko withdrew and thrust again, with precisely the same technique, to see if he could warrant another reaction.

Sokka's back arched farther, pushing his head deeply into the sheets, evoking another cry.

It didn't take much more encouragement for Zuko to begin his rabid thrusting, aiming for the same spot every time. Sokka's reactions only heated him farther, making him become rougher and more desperate.

"Pleaseplease... oh yeeeah..." Sokka's voice was somewhere between a mumbled and a continuous moan and it was driving Zuko crazy.

The hand above his head came down to Sokka's stomach, fumbling around in order to find his cock. He had barely touched it when his ass tightened around Zuko's erection and he cried out even louder. Zuko grunted, thrusting one last time into the delicious tight body of his new husband before coming himself.

The two of them paused, reveling in the aftermath of their first night together. Zuko slowly closed his eyes and opened them again, taking time to lean against Sokka (it was hard not to collapse). Their foreheads touched, as they had several times that night, and Sokka slowly looked up at Zuko with sleepy eyes. They kissed gently, Sokka smiling happily through his on setting daze.

"I guess... I'd better clean up before you fall asleep." Zuko pushed himself up, feeling some beads of sweat fall down his chest.

"I'm tired..." Sokka mumbled, then yawned. Zuko smiled at how cute that was.

The Fire Lord picked up a corner of the silken sheet and pulled it over to where Sokka was still laying, wiping the cum off Sokka's stomach, then his hand, with the sheet. Sokka sleepily reached up to touch his still bare chest before closing his eyes.

"Wait a second before you fall asleep. Roll over!" Zuko chuckled, waiting only a second before pushing Sokka over himself, his husband smiling playfully. He finished cleaning up his lover with the cover sheet, then discarded it on the floor with their clothes.

The rest of the bed was easily messed up, Zuko pulling the second and third layer of blankets over to cover Sokka, who had refused to move again. Zuko pushed the bundle up towards the head board, somehow getting Sokka to raise his head for a pillow.

The tribesman opened his sleepy eyes again to look at Zuko and smiled. "Good night," he whispered before closing his eyes and snuggling into the blankets. Zuko snuck in beside him, draping Sokka's arm across his side, and looked around. Nothing that couldn't wait until morning.

Using his bending, Zuko turned out the lights over head and closed his eyes, resting his head on top of Sokka's. They could clean up more tomorrow.


End file.
